Alice In The Isles
by AndyArcher
Summary: Alice misses Wonderland. Everyday she searches for a way to go back, but this time, she wanders into a different wonderland. The Shivering Isles. Alice and her cat Dinah are soon sucked into an insane and scary world filled with blood. One-Shot


"Oh, what a beautiful day it is!" Alice was sat against a large, oak tree. It was about noon and the sun was directly above her, casting a pleasant shadow around her and on the lush, green grass. Just beyond the reach of the shadow was a fairy ring, circled with vibrant, but odd mushrooms that seemed to have claws. There were flowers of all colours. She saw reds, yellows, blues and purples. The day couldn't have been more perfect. She had such a good feeling about today. She even decided to wear her favourite outfit; her puffy blue dress and white pinafore and stockings. Her blonde hair was down her back and held in place with her black headband

She was on top of a hill and she could see around her for miles, she could see the town, the river and lake and her home in the distance, as well as the pond where she had first laid eyes upon the white rabbit, as well as the hedge where the rabbit hole was. "Oh how I miss Wonderland so very much!" Every day, Alice would check the rabbit hole. However, to her dismay, there was never anything there except dirt, and the occasional worm. She hadn't even ever spotted a rabbit in it.

"Let us explore the woods again!" Alice almost sang. Of course no one was there to hear her. Her sister was grown up and had married into a wealthy family and moved away to the big city. Her father had passed away years ago and her mother was rarely ever at home. Only Dinah, her cat, was there to keep her company. She swung Dinah into her arms and skipped down the hill, past the fairy ring. A week ago, she had found a tree and noticed a nest with 3 little eggs in it. Alice put Dinah on the ground and climbed the tree. Only two eggs remained today. "One must have been nicked by a sneaky fox! Come on, Dinah!" Alice directed, patting her leg for her cat to follow along.

She wandered the forest for hours. Soon enough, the sun was beginning to set in the distance, casting long, eerie shadows over the forest. That was when Alice's situation began to show itself to her. All she could see around her were trees, and she had no idea which direction she had come. She was lost. She gasped and glanced to her feet. Dinah was gone. Alice was beginning to panic. She paced frantically, trying to look for some sort of landmark, all the while calling for Dinah. It was dark now, and she could not use the sun as a guide. She was alone, and in the dark. She could hear the sounds of owls waking and beginning their hunt, a mouse squealed in the distance, she had had enough.

"_**DINAH! WHERE ARE YOU!" **_

_Meow! _It was her cat. "Dinah, where are you?" called Alice. _Meow! _It was coming from her left somewhere. Alice ran in at a frantic pace towards the sound of her cat. She ran so fast, she once tripped on a tree branch, ripping and staining her stockings. _Meow! _She was getting closer. Finally she saw her cat's figure being illuminated by a bright purple light. Slowing down, she picked up Dinah and approached the glow. As she grew nearer, she noticed it was coming from the base of a tree. Finally, she was close enough to touch the tree and she noticed very intricate carvings of a face in the wood. She traced the figures with her finger and realized it was two faces and three noses, causing a third face to form in the middle. It was from this face's mouth the light was coming from. The faces were twisted and morphed. One was screaming, while the other was laughing.

"Oh Dinah, perhaps it is Wonderland! Maybe they want us to come back, or maybe they will lead us back home, regardless of which, we better not delay!" Alice again scooped up the cat into her arms. Alice glanced over the door again and took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She stepped into the light and felt a surge of heat and cold, she could not decide which one it was. Then, her foot came upon a cold floor. She opened her eyes and saw she was in a small, dark room. The room was silent except for a ticking noise.

"Hello, dear." Spoke a cool voice. Alice glanced at the desk and saw a man wearing black clothing, with a red undershirt. The collar was insanely large. Alice assumed that must have been what was 'in style' in Paris. "Who are you, sir?" Alice asked.

"I am Haskill, Lord Sheogorath's chamberlain." Haskill replied. "And you?"

"I am Alice." She curtsied. "Is this Wonderland, sir?"

"Wonderland? Oh Gods no. This, is the Shivering Isles."

"Oh, well, I've never seen it on any maps I've read. I'm sorry, but I really must be getting home." Alice turned around but all she saw was cold, gray wall. She realized the purple portal was gone.

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry to inform you that it's too late for that now. Besides, here, there is food and shelter. Out there you would still be lost. Have a seat, my dear." Haskill outstretched his long, bony hand towards a chair on the other side of the desk. Alice flattened her dress and sat down. Her back was up straight, and her hands in her lap.

"Ah, such manners in a young child are so rare nowadays. So, I'm assuming you want to get out of here. Am I correct, darling?" Haskill reclined back into his chair.

"Well…" Alice said nervously. "Yes, but I would also like to know more about all these places I always seem to stumble into."

"Well, then my master should be able to solve both of those. He is located in New Sheoth's Palace. Good luck, and goodbye, my dear." Haskill got up, walked away, and disappeared.

"Excuse me, Sir? Well. That was awfully rude of him, eh, Dinah?" Alice began to pet the cat and it purred loudly. Alice was soon interrupted by a loud noise of fluttering wings. She looked up and saw that the cold, gray walls of the room were turning into butterflies. They were of every colour she could imagine. There were hundreds, if not thousands. They fluttered right around her, as if she wasn't even there. After about a minute of this glorious experience, the last one flew off into the distance. Alice got up and composed herself. With a look of determination, she grabbed Dinah and set out across the remaining floor of the room, right to the edge of a large hill. Then she saw the Shivering Isles.

It was beautiful. Just like the real world, it was nighttime now. It was very similar to Wonderland because of the overgrown mushrooms and strange plants, but it was also _so_ different. It had a darker feel to it, and it was as if she was looking into the future of Wonderland, there were ruins all over and things were in dismay. Also, everything was colourless. The mushrooms looked as if a yellow dress was put in the sun too long, and they seemed to have claws gripping them. The grass was dead, and there were large roots, the darkest brown she had ever seen, without being black. In the distance, she could make out a town.

"I guess that's New Sheoth! Let's go Dinah!" Alice took a deep breath and puffed out her chest. She walked very quickly with her young, stubby legs. The land was rather dreary, and she kept getting her shoes wet in the puddles all about. After about five minutes, she finally navigated her way through the forest and came upon the town. There was a large, dull purple wall with a staircase and door on the side. There was an archway where the road led through. Alice proceeded through and it led into a small courtyard. Alice noticed about 3 buildings.

"Hmm this sign says 'The Wastrel's Purse.' Looks like some kind of inn or pub. Maybe we can ask for directions, Dinah!"

So Alice and Dinah wandered into the store. It was lighter inside, due to a handful of candles, but it was still extremely dark. Directly in front of her was a woman, with the pointiest ears she had ever seen. She looked absolutely exhausted. She had large bags under her eyes and was slouched over. Alice walked towards the counter.

"Excuse me?" she asked… no reply "Um…miss? Excuse me! My dear, Dinah, she must have fallen asleep standing!"

"WHAT! Oh, hello…how can… I help…you…" said the pointy-eared woman, obviously still sleepy.

"Um, I was hoping you could give us directions." Alice explained.

"To…where?"

"New Sheoth Palace. Is it nearby?"

"Oh, Gods, no…if you want to go there, you will need to walk… quite a while… my dear. Just follow the road until…you get to a pair of doors… take the one on the left…it's safer."

"Oh, well. Thank you very much Miss. Come on Dinah. Guess we've got a while to go yet." Alice and Dinah began to walk towards the door.

"Well, it would do you… no good to leave now. You look exhausted, and it's never… safe to go about …doing things when you're… tired. Why not stay… the night here?"

"Well, we have no money, Miss." Alice said, retreating into herself, embarrassed.

"Oh, you're just a youngling, and it's not like many people come through…anyway." explained the woman. "I'll even make…you some break…fast in the morning."

"Oh, thank you oh so very much, madam" Alice curtsied and wandered up the stairs. They creaked so loudly, Alice could have sworn even the lady at the counter would have woken. The walls were brown and moldy, and the entire building smelt of rot. When she reached the top of the stairs, she bumped into a woman.

"Excuse you!" said the woman. Alice looked at her and saw the most startling image she had even seen. The woman had dark blue skin and pointy ears. Her hair was fire-red, and tied back in a bun. She was wearing an odd, but beautiful, black dress and gold necklace. She had tears streaming down her cheeks, and looked very angry. "Get out of my way child! Can't you see I'm mourning?"

"Oh, I'm very sorry Ma'am. May I ask why?" Alice asked.

"Some, savage came through here and killed my child!" she almost screamed

"Oh, my! That's terrible!" Alice said, in a comforting tone.

"Out of all the adventurers he slaughtered, why was this one able to kill him?"

"Um…excuse me? Did you say your child…_slaughtered… _people?" said Alice nervously.

"Of course, it's what it was bred to do! Oh, you don't know? My child was the Gatekeeper!" the woman poured into tears and slumped against the wall.

"Oh, um… I- "Alice started, but was cut off by the woman's wailing. She slowly backed away from the crying woman and found the only empty room. She opened the door and sat on the bed. "Oh, Dinah. This place is ever so frightening! But at least I have you." The cat purred, agreeing. Alice lay on the bed and closed her eyes. Dinah curled up beside her and slept as well.

The next morning, Alice looked out the window and saw the world in daylight. The stars were gone, replaced with the sun and some clouds. She could see that mushrooms more clearly now, and truly realized their immense size. She wandered down the stairs and saw the sleepy woman from the night before slumped up against the counter. Alice walked by and stood in front of her. "Excuse me, ma'am?" Again, there was no reply. Alice rolled her eyes and poked the woman on the arm.

"AH! OH! Hello again my dear. Would…you like something to…eat? " inquired the woman, now woken from her slumber.

"Yes please, I haven't eaten in a while now." said Alice, embarrassed.

"Of course…Hold on a moment please." The woman grabbed a plate and went to a cupboard. She rummaged through or a minute and returned with a plate of food. "Here, Grummite eggs, black tar, and smoked Baliwog leg!" she pushed the plate towards Alice. Alice stared at the plate a while before she managed to gain the courage to take a bite of the smoked leg. It wasn't bad! When she was about to put one off the eggs in her mouth, the sleepy woman stopped her.

"Try dipping them in the black tar…that's what it's…there…for."

Alice did and it tasted magnificent! She ate some more and there was an awkward silence. Alice eventually decided to ask a question. "If you don't mind me asking, why are your ears so pointy?"

"Oh well…because I'm a Wood Elf." she replied.

"I didn't think they really existed!" said Alice excitedly. "and what of the woman upstairs, who's skin as is dark as night?"

"Dark Elf."

"Hmm… what other creatures exist in this land?" asked Alice, finishing up with the food and taking a seat at a table. The lady followed and slumped into a chair across from her.

"Well, there are Redguards, the dark-skinned people…High Elves…the tall and golden skinned people, and…Argonians…the lizard people…" the woman's head fell to the table violently and went quiet. She had fallen asleep again. Alice shrugged and called to Dinah who was sniffing something in a corner. Alice picked her up and walked outside. She located the road again and followed it. She noticed abundance of wildlife, and at one point, she could have sworn a little cloud of glowing dust had brushed by her face. The road soon led to a set of steps leading up what looked like a ruin. When she reached the top, she could see all around her. She noticed many lakes and a huge wall that surrounded the area. She followed the wall with the tip of her finger until she found herself pointing at a large set of gates. She began to walk towards them, but suddenly she smelt something horrid.

In front of her was a huge body. It was yellow, with what looked like red stitches and marks all over its body. It had no eyes and its arm was a large blade. It was beginning to rot, and parts of it were exposing the bone. At closer inspection, she noticed a number of holes in the creature's body. She also found an arrow in its back.

"This must be the Gatekeeper. Well, we better leave it be Dinah."

Alice plugged her nose and continued on towards the gates. The plaza was massive and littered with bodies. Some of them still had armour and their skin. They too smelled. She noticed one of them had a cat-like tail. When she reached the wall, she saw two pitch-black hallways. She remembered what the woman said the night before and went into the one on the left. A few steps in, she couldn't see a thing. She put her hands out and felt around her. After a while, her hands came in contact with a large, wooden door. She felt around and found a handle. She pushed on it. The door did not budge. She used all her force and pushed up against the door. Finally it creaked open enough for her to slip through. She closed her eyes and squeezed past the door. She opened her eyes and saw a bright and colourful world.

"Curioser and curiouser."

The area around her was alive with colour. There were birds, insects and little woodland creatures about and the mushrooms here were as bright a yellow as the sun itself. In fact, just about everything was yellow. The other most dominant colour was blue. The sky was made of blue and yellow clouds, and the plants would have yellow bottoms and blue tops, or blue bottoms and yellow tops. Alice wandered forward and brushed her finger against a rock, but stared towards the sky. Her mind was spinning with inspiration, and she just felt so giddy. She followed the road for a while, still captivated by her surroundings. Abruptly her daydreams were interrupted with a shout.

"Hey, you there! Child!" shouted an unseen source. Then, a golden-skinned woman came running towards Alice. She was dressed in white armour that left the stomach and legs uncovered. She was adorned with gold weapons and a majestic winged helmet. She stopped a few paces before Alice and began to speak. "Why are you out here all by yourself?"

"Well, I was heading to New Sheoth to speak to…well…whoever resides in The palace I suppose." Alice realized that was all the information she had.

"You mean Lord Sheogorath?" asked the woman, suspiciously.

"I suppose so. I was just told to talk to him if I had any questions." Alice explained.

"Alright. I'll take you to the Palace then. Follow me child. And swiftly." The woman turned around and walked away. Alice obliged and followed suit. They walked in silence for hours. Soon enough, the sun was high in the sky and not a word had been spoken. Wanting to break the silence, Alice asked: "Are you a High Elf?" The woman stopped in her tracks and turned around, with a look of rage on her face.

"I, am an Aureal. The High Elves are a lesser race than us. All other races are lower than us! We are Golden Saints and serve the madgod Sheogorath and patrol over Mania."

"I thought this place was called the Shivering Isles." said Alice, immediately regretting saying it.

"Ugh, your ignorance. Mania is the upper side of the Shivering Isles, while Dementia is the lower part. That part is watched over by the Mazken." She spat on the ground and continued forward. It was well past noon now and the pair hadn't said anything since the last statement. Suddenly Alice heard a load roar. The Aureal drew her sword and ran towards a creature unlike anything Alice had ever seen. It was thin and mangled and had a long, long mouth. As it approached the woman, a red beam shot out of its mouth and hit the warrior. She yelped and her knees buckled for a moment, but soon she was hacking at the beast. Alice felt something hot splash against her face. It was blood. Alice screamed and fell to the ground crying. Soon the woman returned and picked her up gently. She said some comforting words and her hand glowed blue and wiped the blood off Alice's and her own body. She set Alice down and they returned to their walk.

Finally, as the sun was beginning to set in the distance, the pair came into the view of a city. It stood upon a large cliff, and there was a river and waterfall. The two of them had to cross a bridge to get to the gates. They encountered another Golden Saint, who eyed Alice uncomfortably. They entered a town that was as bountiful with colours as the landscape. There were flowing fountains and potted plants. "Welcome, to Bliss" said the Aureal. She led Alice up some steps and onto a balcony. From there, Alice could see another part of the town, separated by a wall. It was a lot darker and looked run-down. "That is Crucible. That's the Dementia half of the city."

They opened a door and Alice was led into an open space Alice could see three large towers. The middle one was smaller than the others. They walked towards the Palace on a section of raised walkway. On her left was a garden filled with the various colours of Mania. There were two mushrooms and they towered above them. However, the other side of the walkway was quite the opposite. The grass was dead, and there was a large root-looking thing sticking up from the ground. The entire area made her feel sad and depressed. On both sides of her, stood large monuments that resembled large crystals. Soon, they left the gardens behind and they were at the Palace gates. There were two doors in the middle tower. The one on the left was guarded by an Aureal, and the one on the right was, as Alice assumed, a Mazken. Their skin was purple and wore blue armour with a green tint. Like the Aureal armour, it exposed the legs and stomach. The Aureal that led her to the Palace stepped aside and said "Enter."

The Palace was magnificent. The ceiling must have gone up at least a hundred feet. There were two little streams embracing a small court. The court was divided in half, with Alice's side being adorned with a red carpet and orange flames, while the far side had blue carpet and blue flames. The carpet led to a set of steps and a throne. On the steps stood Haskill, and upon the throne was a man in a purple and yellow jacket and breeches. He had grey hair and a grey beard. He had a cane in his lap and was clapping. Sheogorath. Alice walked down the carpet towards the man.

"So, you made it huh!" The man on the throne threw his head back in laughter. "Didn't think you would! Well, I knew you would, but I didn't know for sure!"

Alice curtsied again. "I am very pleased to meet you my Lord. However, may I ask how you knew I was coming?"

"What! OH! My dear, I've been waiting for you ever since you left Wonderland! The Mad Hatter told me!" Sheogorath leaned forward and began heaving with laughter again.

"You know the Mad Hatter? Oh, isn't he wonderful!" Alice said dreamily.

"Of course he is! After all, I AM THE MAD HATTER!" he began to roll on the floor now, unable to contain his laughter. "I also created Wonderland. And Oz, and of course the Shivering Isles."

"How can you create a place, sir?" asked Alice.

His face grew serious. "Well, because I am a Daedric God. We are all allowed to have a number of planes we can create. This is my favourite of course. Oz all went to hell after some broad killed a bunch of my witches and foiled the ruler. I really need to keep track of my gates. How one got sucked into a tornado I will never know. Wonderland is nice too, but it's a bit too happy, and too many animals in it. I entrusted it to a mortal woman who completely turned it upside-down. I should have been there more to keep an eye on that queen but now I've learned my lesson and I'm keeping watch over these mortals." He motioned to either side of him.

"But if you're the Mad Hatter, couldn't you just rule over Wonderland and get rid of that wicked Queen?"

"Ah, yes I heard about your little encounter with her. But of course I could have, but it was much more fun to watch it unravel by itself." he said, repositioning himself in his throne. All the while, Haskill was just watching as if nothing unusual was occurring. "You see, I was waiting for you to come here when you were a bit older, so you could be my champion, but it seems you're still a young lass. However, someone else is working for me, as you may have noticed with the Gatekeeper. But I can find a way to make you useful. After all, because of your adventures in my other little world, you have a little more experience."

"I would very much like to go home Sheogorath, I miss my family." Alice said, almost pleading.

"NO!" Sheogorath yelled. "You must do something for me first. My current champion is busy trying to stop the Jygalag, but I need something else done. There is a group of people who believe that I am a tyrant and a dictator. But worst of all they think I am MORTAL. BAH! They are called Heretics and live in little camps in Mania. I would like you to go to them on behalf of the Lord of this realm, and tell them to stand down or my entire army of Aureals and Mazken will be upon them."

"I suppose I could… but why not send one of your guards?"

"HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME! You don't think I thought of that before? They kill my guards every time I send one over. But you are a little girl and there is no indicator you work for me, so maybe they will be more hesitant to kill you. Go now. The Aureal that brought you here will accompany you most of the way." Sheogorath waved his hand and it was clear that the conversation was over. Alice turned around and went to the door. She dropped Dinah and told her to wait for her to return. She walked out and greeted the Aureal. The woman said nothing and began to walk towards the steps.

"Do you know where the nearest Heretic camp is?" Alice asked

"Of course I do. I was with a scouting group not days ago and my entire squad was murdered by those madmen. I can never forget where that happened." She never even turned around to look at Alice. Alice was awfully exhausted, and wished to sleep, for it was getting dark now. But she knew it would be best to get this over with. After a bit, the little company was out of the city and back on the road.

They travelled more northern this time. They walked through a grove of multilayered mushrooms that went on for endless leagues. In about an hour they were on top of a large mountain. This time, Alice could not only see the city, but what she believed to be all of the Isles. South of her, at the bottom of the mountain loomed Dementia. It was riddled with lakes and ponds, and had numerous roots protruding from the ground all over. When Alice turned around she realized the guard was already beginning her decent down the other side of the cliff. Alice rushed to stand beside her. Finally, the Aurel stopped.

"There. See it? It's that ruin on the coast. You can make out their blue robes from here. Just go down there and ask to speak with the group leader. See where it goes from there. I'll wait for your return."

Alice walked down the remainder of the mountain and towards the ruin. After a bit she could clearly see a group of people clad in blue robes. One of them spotted her and drew a sword. Another one pointed and said something to the other one and he put his sword back into his sheath. By the time Alice reached the group, they had all assembled at a door into the ruin. They all had looks on suspicion and nervousness. Most had their hands on their swords, ready to draw at any timt. One of them stood in the middle. He had a shining green sword at his hip, and a long, grey beard at his chin. He spoke with a rumbling voice. "Why do you come here, child?"

"I wish to speak with your leader." Alice performed her routine of curtsying.

"This is he." said the bearded man. "What do you wish to say?"

"I come here on behalf of Lord Sheogorath." Alice said nervously. Her palms were soaked in sweat and her feet were shuffling.

"I KNEW IT! KILL HER!" shouted another member of the group. The other Heretics began to draw their swords.

"STOP! How could you conceive killing a child? Besides, we could find a use for her yet." The group grumbled and put away their swords. "Now, he sent you here to tell us…let me guess. That he will destroy us if we don't surrender?" Alice nodded. "Of course. Well, what did he promise you in return?"

"A way back home." Alice blushed and hung her head.

"Well, you see, we will never back down, and Sheogorath isn't one to keep promises. However, we can guarantee you a way out if you can do something for us…" said the leader.

"Oh, well I suppose so. What would that be?"

"Kill Sheogorath." The man said it so cool and relaxed that it almost terrified Alice.

"What! No, I couldn't do that! He didn't do anything wrong to me! And he's a God!"

"Look at what he did to the Isles! He's a terrible ruler and he is no God! He is a mortal, just like you and me who uses cheap parlour tricks to fool the population. Now, take this dagger, and strike him through the heart the next time you see him." The man drew a blade that was as yellow as the mushrooms around them. It had a green and handle, and the blade itself gleamed like the sun. Alice slowly accepted the gift and slid it into her pocket.

"As long as you promise to get me out of here when I'm done." Alice still didn't like the idea of killing someone, but she was desperate to get home.

"Of course. Come see us again when the deed is done." The man ushered the group into the ruins and shut the door behind him. Alice was alone. She patted the knife in her pocket and stepped off the ruin. She returned to the Aureal.

"How did it go?" She asked. "What was it that they handed to you?"

Alice thought quickly. "It was a scroll. For Sheogorath's eyes only, they said."

The Aureal nodded and began to walk again. "Well then let us return."

And so they did. By the time they reached the Palace grounds again, the sun was creeping up over the h orizon. Alice said goodbye to the Aureal, who she believed had become close to her in their journeys. Alice entered the Palace and took a deep breath. She walked down the steps into the court. Dinah, who was chasing a butterfly around the mushrooms behind the throne, came over to join her. Alice picked her up and proceeded towards the throne.

"So what of the Heretics, eh my dear?" said Sheogorath. Alice made no reply. She just continued to walk towards him. At last she stood face to face with Sheogorath. Time slowed around her. Sheogorath's mouth was moving but all Alice could hear was her heartbeat. She began to draw the blade from her dress and held it firmly in her hand. Sheogorath had a puzzled look on his face. Alice thought of Wonderland. Her fight with the Queen, the Chesire Cat, the Rabbit with the waistcoat, and finally, the Mad Hatter. She felt a surge of energy and raised the blade. She closed her eyes and with more force than she believed she had, she ran it into his heart. She opened her eyes to see the blade stuck in Sheogorath's chest. He stared at the blade for a minute then glanced up at Alice.

"You really shouldn't have done that, my dear." Sheogorath waved his hand. There was a bright flash of light.

Alice found herself high in the sky. She realized she was falling. She was alone, for Dinah was nowhere to be seen. The wind was howling and she could barely keep her eyes open. But when they were, she saw the most beautiful scenery ever. It was sunrise, and everything was splashed with colour. She was above Mania and could see the mushrooms. From here they resembled thousands of tiny suns. It was then she realized that this was all a dream. This was how many of her dreams would end. There would be moments of ultimate terror, then, right before she hit the surface, she would wake. Alice glanced down and saw the ground coming into view. She was relieved that she would soon be out of this place. She could snuggle with Dinah under the oak tree and sleep in her own, warm bed. She closed her eyes and smiled. But then all she could feel was pain. Her vision went black and all feeling in her body disappeared. She didn't wake up. She never would. Her body would stay on the pile of corpses until it too rotted away. Dinah would forever be stuck in the Isles, and her family would never see her again. Alice had wandered into the wrong kind of Wonderland, and made the biggest mistake of her life. She had tried to murder a god.


End file.
